With a pinch of salt

A recently published article stated that a luxurious Kiwi weekend breakfast like bacon and eggs is high in salt which may increase the risk to high blood pressure / heart attacks and strokes due to its high salt content.
Well, this might make you think that since we generally do not indulge in such a breakfast, it reduces our risk. However, if you think about the amount of salt you would have consumed in the past twenty four hours, it might surprise you when compared to the recommended standards.

We consume twice the recommended amount of salt which is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

Indian food and snacks are high in salt; especially all processed foods contain high amounts of salt. Adding table salt can contribute to a significant amount of sodium in your diet. Excess sodium can lead to water retention resulting in our kidneys working harder to get rid of excess salt and water.
Some foods contain high amounts of salt are bread, processed foods, breakfast cereals, butter, marmite, cheese, snacks and ready to eat foods.
Certain popular accompaniments used with Indian dishes like pickles (achar), poppadum (papad) and various sauces/chutneys have a high salt content.
Research has proven high salt consumption is linked to other health problems like asthma, osteoporosis (brittle bones), gastric cancer and kidney disease
A common defence that I encounter from my clients is how would one get the same taste with reduced salt? Now this is a challenge for many Indian women.
Some strategies could be
• Consume food as fresh as possible, avoid vegetables or meat processed in brine (salt solution used to preserve canned food).
• Spice up your meals – use our wonderful traditional spices to enhance the flavour rather than using salt.
• Lemon juice, vinegar are good sources that can replace salt to add flavour
• Where ever possible make chutneys/pickles at home, if not then avoid consuming these on a regular basis.
• Read labels – reduced salt, low salt, etc. Labels can help you make better choices at the supermarket – products like sauces, cheese, butter are available in a low salt variety … just look out for it.
• If you are at risk of high or low blood pressure, make sure you do visit your GP to keep a check on your blood pressure and of course watch your salt intake.
• Watch out for spice mixes in ready to eat foods – these spice sachets are high in salt – use less amounts or use your own home made spices.
• Lastly always use iodised salt when adding to food, you can avoid salt where it’s not needed like steamed rice, roti flour; adding small amounts to curries and vegetable / meat dishes with a good spice mix can make it work.
• A once in a while takeaway won’t increase your blood pressure but having these regularly can increase your salt intake significantly.

Think the next time you add salt to your meals – may be you don’t need it.

This article is a general guideline only. Please see a health professional for individual conditions and needs.
Varsha Asrani is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian. For personal consultation she can be contacted on 0210524353. For any questions, suggestions or views please email Varsha on info@varshaasrani.com